# Bringing Back THE VOICE of Speak & Spell ## Overview https://youtu.be/Bt-8wb-dFw4 This project makes an **Adafruit Trellis M4**  faithfully replicate the voice of _Speak & Spell._ ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/077/128/medium800/neotrellis_Unit.jpg?1560814048) The **Texas Instruments Speak & Spell** and its descendants were electronic educational toys sold from the late 1970s into the early 1990s. If you were around for it, chances are **you _know_ that voice** , even if you don’t recall the spelling games that went with it. Like any of our senses, sound can summon strong nostalgic feelings. The **Yamaha DX7** synthesizer left its fingerprints all over  **1980s pop music**. Chiptune aficionados will _insist_ that analog peculiarities of a real  **Commodore 64’s SID chip**  can never be perfectly emulated in software.  **Stephen Hawking** was so known for his specific accent that he kept (or emulated) it even as better-sounding technology came along. ![neotrellis_dx7.jpg](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/077/124/medium640/neotrellis_dx7.jpg?1560808961) ![neotrellis_c64.jpg](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/077/125/medium640/neotrellis_c64.jpg?1560808967) ![neotrellis_hawking.jpg](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/077/126/medium640/neotrellis_hawking.jpg?1560808972) And so it goes with early speech synthesis technology. A _Votrax SC-01_ (used in MicroVox and Heathkit HERO 1) was distinct from _S.A.M. (Software Automatic Mouth)_ was distinct from the General Instrument _SPO256_ IC (which could be had from Radio Shack) and so forth. Each has its own peculiar _flavour._ I can’t explain _why_ I wanted to **bring back the Speak & Spell voice** specifically. I just…did. It’s that nostalgia thing, and anybody who knows and hears it _will_ laugh. That’s really why I do any of this stuff. A new “retro” Speak & Spell is being released and I was disappointed that its voice is modern and understandable. That’s like when a cartoon voice actor is replaced and anyone can spot the change. - [Next Page](https://learn.adafruit.com/bringing-back-the-voice-of-speak-spell/software.md) ## Featured Products ### Adafruit NeoTrellis M4 with Enclosure and Buttons Kit Pack [Adafruit NeoTrellis M4 with Enclosure and Buttons Kit Pack](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4020) So you've got a cool/witty name for your band, a Soundcloud account, [a 3D-printed Daft Punk helmet](https://learn.adafruit.com/3d-printed-daft-punk-helmet-with-bluetooth)... so what could be missing from your road to stardom? The **NeoTrellis M4 Kit...** Out of Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4020) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/4020/guides) ### USB cable - USB A to Micro-B [USB cable - USB A to Micro-B](https://www.adafruit.com/product/592) This here is your standard A to micro-B USB cable, for USB 1.1 or 2.0. Perfect for connecting a PC to your Metro, Feather, Raspberry Pi or other dev-board or microcontroller Approximately 3 feet / 1 meter long In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/592) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/592/guides) ### USB A/Micro Cable - 2m [USB A/Micro Cable - 2m](https://www.adafruit.com/product/2185) This is your standard USB A-Plug to Micro-USB cable. It's 2 meters long so you'll have plenty of cord to work with for those longer extensions. In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/2185) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/2185/guides) ### USB Powered Speakers [USB Powered Speakers](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1363) Add some extra boom to your audio project with these powered loudspeakers. We sampled half a dozen different models to find ones with a good frequency response, so you'll get quality audio output for music playback. Simply connect the standard 3.5mm stereo plug into your Raspberry Pi model... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1363) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/1363/guides) ### USB Battery Pack - 2200 mAh Capacity - 5V 1A Output [USB Battery Pack - 2200 mAh Capacity - 5V 1A Output](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1959) A smaller-sized rechargeable battery pack for your [Raspberry Pi](http://www.adafruit.com/raspberrypi) or [Raspberry Pi B+](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1914) (or [Arduino](http://www.adafruit.com/arduino), or  No Longer Stocked [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1959) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/1959/guides) ### USB Battery Pack for Raspberry Pi - 10000mAh - 2 x 5V outputs [USB Battery Pack for Raspberry Pi - 10000mAh - 2 x 5V outputs](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1566) A large-sized rechargeable battery pack for your [Raspberry Pi](http://www.adafruit.com/raspberrypi) (or [Arduino](http://www.adafruit.com/arduino), or [Propeller](http://www.adafruit.com/category/26), or anything else that uses 5V!). This pack is intended for... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1566) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/1566/guides) ## Related Guides - [NeoTrellis M4 Noisy Grains of Sand](https://learn.adafruit.com/neotrellism4sand.md) - [NeoTrellis M4 Arpeggiator Synth](https://learn.adafruit.com/neotrellis-arpeggiator-synth.md) - [FlappyBird Game for NeoTrellis M4 in CircuitPython](https://learn.adafruit.com/circuitpython-neotrellism4-flappybird.md) - [Mu Keyboard Shortcut Cheat Sheets](https://learn.adafruit.com/mu-keyboard-shortcut-cheat-sheets.md) - [Trellis M4 Beat Sequencers](https://learn.adafruit.com/trellis-m4-beat-sequencer.md) - [NeoTrellis Light Painting](https://learn.adafruit.com/neotrellis-light-painting.md) - [Classic MIDI Synth Control with Trellis M4](https://learn.adafruit.com/classic-midi-synth-control-with-trellis-m4.md) - [Launch Deck Trellis M4](https://learn.adafruit.com/launch-deck-trellis-m4.md) - [Trellis M4 Synth Design Tool](https://learn.adafruit.com/synthesizer-design-tool.md) - [NeoTrellis M4 Memory Game](https://learn.adafruit.com/neotrellis-m4-memory-game.md) - [Neotrellis M4 Live Launcher](https://learn.adafruit.com/neotrellis-live-launcher.md) - [NeoTrellis M4 MIDI File Synthesizer](https://learn.adafruit.com/neotrellism4-midi-file-player-synthesizer.md) - [Adafruit NeoTrellis M4 Express](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-neotrellis-m4.md) - [Christmas Soundboard with NeoTrellis M4](https://learn.adafruit.com/xmas-sound-board.md) - [NeoTrellis Tabletop RPG Soundboard](https://learn.adafruit.com/neotrellis-dungeon-crawl-soundboard.md)